


The Hole

by eriah211



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, M/M, Plants
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-19
Updated: 2017-01-19
Packaged: 2018-09-18 14:55:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9389984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eriah211/pseuds/eriah211
Summary: While exploring a new alien planet, things get way worse before they can get better...





	

**Author's Note:**

> First Stargate Atlantis fic, posted originally in 2013 for the Twelve Days of Lorne in the slashing_lorne lj comm. Betaed by the awesome fififolle and written because she introduced me to this pairing in the first place.

 

One of the things Evan Lorne had always been thankful for was the fact that Dr David Parrish was a botanist and his work wasn’t as dangerous as others’, because the man really had a tendency to get himself into trouble. One moment he was excitedly babbling about a new alien plant and the next, _ground_ had given way beneath him and he had disappeared from sight.  
  
While the team was exploring a new alien planet they had found a clearing in the woods that looked interesting and since there weren’t any signs of wild animals or any other imminent dangers, Lorne had agreed to stop there with Parrish while the others kept going. The botanist had immediately started working, taking samples of different plants, excited like a child on Christmas morning. He had smiled broadly at Lorne, pointing at different plants here and there and talking about the many potential uses they could have. Lorne had smiled back as he watched David caress with slender fingers the leaves and flowers as if they were little treasures.  
  
Lately he had found himself staring at David a bit too often, feeling a little flutter in his chest every time he smiled at him. If David had noticed it, he had never seemed to mind. In fact the botanist had come to visit him more and more often to ask him to paint one flower or another and he usually kept him company while he painted. Lorne enjoyed their time together and he thought David did too, but he had never actually plucked up the courage to take a step forward. It was just that things were complicated enough in Atlantis as they were.  
  
David’s interest had soon focused on the biggest plant in the clearing. It had giant green leaves and a broad stem that was curled around a big dead tree that stood alone in the centre of the clearing. Green contrasted deeply against the grey trunk and huge blue flowers, bigger than a human head, dangled from the dead branches. It looked as if the giant vine had used the old dead tree to support itself and had grown up around the whole place. The scientist was pointing at some dark blue flower-buds and moving nearer to the plant when the ground gave way beneath him.  
  
Lorne got closer to the hole as fast as he could while carefully watching for unstable ground and when he finally reached the edge of the hole he saw a very confused and a bit scratched botanist looking up at him.  
  
“Are you OK, Parrish?” Lorne asked.  
  
It wasn’t a very deep hole, just about 12 feet and roots and branches seemed to have cushioned Parrish’s fall, but it was still going to be tricky to get him out of there if he was hurt.  
  
“I’m... I’m OK, I think,” David answered while trying to sit up.  
  
He seemed a bit shaken, but it looked as if he just had a few scratches. Some of the roots in the hole had big thorns and they had made some cuts to David when he'd fallen. In fact one of his feet was tangled up in a mess of roots and it was making it hard for him to stand up.  
  
“If I could just take my foot out of this...” David said while grabbing one of the roots and trying to put it away. “Ouch!”  
  
The foot was still trapped, but now David had a new cut in the palm of his hand that bled profusely.  
  
“It’s OK, Parrish,” Lorne said. “Just keep calm and we’ll think a way to get you out of there as soon as possible, OK? I think I have a rop-”  
  
“Major!” David shouted, his voice edged with fear.  
  
At first Lorne didn’t know what had caused the botanist’s reaction, there was nothing else there, but then he saw it: the roots that were tangled around David’s foot were moving; they were slowly creeping over his leg. David tried to squirm away, but there was no place to go, just more roots and dead branches between him and the wall of the hole. Then the roots on his leg tightened and sank their thorns into it.  
  
David’s yell of pain made Lorne reach for his gun, but it was useless. He wasn’t even sure where to aim; guns hadn’t been designed to fight against vegetation.  
  
“I’ll get you out, David, just hold on!” Lorne shouted.  
  
He pulled the rope from his backpack and looked around for a place to tie it to. There weren’t really many options and the nearest one was the dead tree, he just had to get near to it without falling in any other hole.  
  
Lorne radioed for help and with a last look at David he started making his way towards the tree. He used his rifle to hit the floor in front of him to see if it was stable and moved as fast as he could. When he was about to reach the tree, the rifle sank into the ground and a big hole opened in front of him. Lorne was ready to ignore it and look for another way to the tree when something caught his eye: the skeleton of a big creature was lying at the bottom of the hole, still trapped by dozens of roots. Lorne shivered and then kept walking.  
  
He finally got to the tree, which looked stable enough for his purpose, and without losing a second he tied the rope to the dead trunk, pushing the big leaves out of the way. Once the knot was secured he took the rope and started to retrace his steps, but then he saw tiny particles falling around him and when he instinctively looked up to see what was going on, he saw that one of the buds had opened and that it was releasing clouds of pollen over him.  
  
Lorne sneezed and coughed and tried to keep walking, but he could only take a few steps before everything started to get blurry and his knees buckled beneath him, making him fall to the ground. While he was lying on his back Lorne could see more pollen from other blossoms falling over him. It was kind of beautiful, he thought, like watching the snow fall over you, but without the cold that made it so uncomfortable. There was no cold at all there and the blue flowers were so beautiful; he wondered if he would be able to paint correctly the different shades of blue of the petals with the few colors he still had in his quarters in Atlantis.  
  
“Evan!”  
  
The strangled shout jolted him out of his dreamy state and he came back to his senses. Lorne cursed realizing how close he had been to let himself go completely. Beaten by a fucking plant, he thought, what a way to go.  
  
“Hold on, David!” Lorne shouted.  
  
He grabbed the rope tightly and tried to stand up again, but his arms and legs felt heavy and uncooperative and he fell down at the first step. Lorne cursed his own weakness, but he refused to give up. He turned onto his stomach and started crawling towards the hole. It shouldn’t be too difficult now that he knew where the safe ground was, but he felt dizzy and his eyes were trying to close of their own accord. However, the idea of letting David die alone in that hole scared him shitless and helped to keep him awake. Surely backup was on its way, wasn’t it? It would be the perfect time for them to arrive, because, confused or not, Lorne knew perfectly well that he wasn’t going to be able to get him out just by himself, not in that state.  
  
“I’m almost there, David!” Lorne shouted again.  
  
A few yards had felt like miles, but finally Lorne arrived at the edge of the hole. He leaned into it to throw the rope to David, but the sight he got left him completely frozen. David was lying down there, pale and still, covered by a tangle of roots. One of them had curled around his neck sinking its thorns in it and it had probably been that, if the blood covering his chest was any proof, that had caused his death.  
  
Lorne stared in horror, gripping the rope as if his life depended on it, too shocked to even feel tired anymore. He wanted to shout, to cry, to curse that fucking alien planet, all at once. He was supposed to protect David and he had failed. No more bright smiles and friendly chats, no more opportunities to turn that friendship into something more. He had wasted too many and now he was going to have to live with that regret all his life.  
  
As if to prove that it might not be long, a root crept out of the hole, trying to reach his arm. Lorne tried to move away from it, but the dizziness came back and he only managed to crawl backwards for a bit. He was trying to clear his head when he felt something tugging at his leg and a sharp flash of pain. It looked like some other root had come out from the ground, looking for a prey.  
  
Lorne shook his leg, but it was useless, and suddenly another root reached his arm and twisted around it before he could stop it. It crept over the arm until it got to his hand and then the root tightened, sinking more thorns in his flesh. He grabbed it and tried to loosen its grip, but his movements were clumsy and the plant was stronger than he had thought.  
  
He turned and twisted, trying to get free. He still hoped the backup would appear soon, but there was no sign yet, no radio communications, no sound of an approaching jumper, nothing. He could hear something though, a faint sound, like words being whispered from far away. Lorne tried to look around and see if something more was coming to the feast, but the dizziness took over him again and he had to close his eyes.  
  
Still with his eyes closed he clenched his fists, trying to gather strength. He could feel blood trickling down his hand and the roots pulling him down to the ground. The whispered words also seemed to become clearer. It was almost like somebody was saying his name.  
  
“Evan, stop!”  
  
These words cut right through the fog in his head. It was David’s voice, he knew it was him. Lorne opened his eyes, his sight blurry, but good enough to see that he was no longer on the ground with the alien plant and more importantly, that a worried David Parrish was leaning over him, holding his arms to his sides.  
  
“Evan, please, stop moving,” David asked calmly. “You are OK, we are OK. We are in the infirmary in Atlantis, you don’t have to worry.”  
  
Nothing made much sense and his head hurt so much, but David was there and that was all that mattered. He took deep breaths and tried to calm down. He saw that he was in fact back in Atlantis and David, a bit scratched, but very much alive, was checking the IV line he had messed up while twisting around.  
  
“The toxin of the plant still hasn’t disappeared from your system, but it will soon,” David said while he cleaned the blood that had dripped from the IV line in his hand. “You just have to rest and get better...”  
  
David stroked his cheek while he kept talking to him soothingly; he kissed Lorne’s temple; he kissed him lightly on the lips. Things still didn’t make a lot of sense, but Lorne was happy because David was kissing him and there weren’t blue flowers in sight.  
  
Lorne’s eyes were feeling heavy again, but he didn’t want to fall asleep. He was afraid he might close his eyes and wake up on that hideous planet again, trapped and alone. David seemed to understand his fears and held his hand reassuringly.  
  
“Don’t worry, Evan,” he said, “I’m not going anywhere.”  


 

***

 

The next time he woke up Lorne didn’t even remember having gone on an expedition, but considering that a slightly battered David Parrish was sleeping on a chair by his bed and that his body ached as if he had taken a beating, it seemed like the most probable explanation. He turned a bit to have a better view of David and soon he fell asleep again.  


 

 

***

 

When he woke up the next morning David was standing by the bed with a relieved smile on his face. Ronon was standing next to him grinning widely and as soon as he saw that Evan was awake he started teasing him about having been defeated by a plant. He still didn’t remember any of that, but it sounded as if it had been a close call.  
  
“It had you totally knocked out on the ground, Lorne,” Ronon said. “You were lying under the flowers sound asleep like a baby. Your friend here was doing better than you! By the time we arrived he had already cut himself free of the roots with a tiny knife.”  
  
Evan glanced at David’s scratched face and bandaged hands and felt mortified to know that he hadn’t been able to protect him. It was his duty and even thought they had both got out of that one alive, Evan felt he had failed David.  
  
Ronon left after a few more jokes and a friendly but strong clap on the shoulder and Evan and David were left alone in the infirmary. Evan felt so ashamed of almost letting David get killed he couldn’t even meet the botanist’s eyes. David didn’t seem to know what to say either and soon the silence became a bit awkward.  
  
“Look, Parrish,” Evan started to say while looking intently at his own hands, “I’m really sorry, I don’t know what to say...”  
  
“You don’t have to say anything, Major,” David said. “I understand.”  
  
Evan glanced at him and saw a look of deep sadness on his face. Great, Evan thought turning his gaze to his hands again, I've really disappointed him.  
  
“We’ll just forget about it, OK?” David added hesitantly.  
  
Luckily for both of them, Dr Beckett chose that moment to appear and threaten David with painful medical checks if he didn’t go to rest in his quarters. People knew better than to argue with the doctor about such matters so David just said goodbye and left.

 

  
***

 

After a thorough medical examination Dr Beckett told him everything looked OK and when Evan admitted he couldn’t remember what had happened the doctor assured him that it was probably just a temporary side effect of the toxin and that the memories of the last few days would come back to him eventually.  
  
He took away the IV and told Evan he wanted him to spend the night there just in case. Too tired to argue about that, Evan nodded and soon he was left alone in the infirmary with his scattered thoughts.

 

  
***

 

The next day David came back to visit him, but it looked as if it made him uncomfortable and he stayed just for a moment, long enough to politely wish him a full recovery and nothing else. While Evan watched David walk away limping lightly, he realized he missed David’s bright smile. And it seemed it had meant to him more than he had thought.  
  
 A few hours later Evan asked to be released, assuring the doctor that he would surely recover faster in the quietness of his own quarters. The fact that Dr McKay had just been brought in sobbing and whining because of a new injury probably helped his case and Dr Beckett finally agreed to let him go. He just advised him to take it easy and let his body and mind heal completely.

 

  
***

  
Evan saw David’s lifeless body, the blood and the twisting roots, and felt the pain and the desperation again. He jolted awake in his quarters, panting and shivering.  
  
He stared at the rays of light that painted the wall while he tried to clear his thoughts and felt the pieces of memories of that day fall slowly into their place. He finally remembered what had happened and also the vivid hallucinations caused by the pollen. Now he could remember everything. Even what had happened in the infirmary. Even the kiss.  
  
He jumped out of bed and got dressed in a hurry so he could go to David’s quarters before he had the chance to change his mind. When he arrived he stood in front of the door catching his breath and then panicked for a moment. What if he was confusing hallucinations with real memories? What if that kiss had never really happened? But he could feel David’s lips on his so clearly, it had to have been real. Although the hallucinations had felt terribly authentic too. What if he was about to make a fool of himself?  
  
Atlantis’ advanced and traitorous technology decided for him when it opened the door before he could lose his courage.  
  
“Evan, what are you doing here?” David asked in surprise.  
  
It was in fact rather early and David looked as if he had just woken up. Evan stared and tried to organize his thoughts to explain what he wanted to say. Unfortunately he was more a man of action than words.  
  
“You kissed me!” Evan finally blurted out.  
  
David gaped and then blushed lightly.  
  
“I thought we had agreed to forget about it,” he finally said.  
  
“No, I didn’t..., I wasn’t...” Evan took a deep breath and tried to start again. “I was talking about the expedition. I was so fucking scared of having lost you for good.”  
  
David relaxed noticeably and walked towards him.  
  
“You thought I had died?” David asked.  
  
“Those hallucinations were so vivid,” Evan said. He raised his hand to touch David’s neck to assure himself that there were no marks there caused by the thorns. David’s breath hitched, but he didn’t move away. “It was difficult to tell them apart from reality... But the kiss was real, wasn’t it?”  
  
David licked his lips nervously and looked away. Evan felt his heart sink.  
  
After a few interminable seconds David turned to look straight at Evan’s eyes again.  
  
“Is it really important if it was?” he asked hesitantly.  
  
“Well, it really isn’t,” Evan answered, “because now I know that I’m fully awake and that this is real...”  
  
Evan leaned forward and kissed David’s lips softly. After a terrifying moment of hesitation, David started kissing him back and finally everything was perfect and so right. Evan brought him closer and deepened the kiss getting a moan out of David, or maybe it was him who was moaning into the kiss, it was difficult to tell and it was not really important. The important thing was David’s hands sneaking under his shirt and the way David shivered every time Evan’s thumb caressed some point on his neck, just below his ear.  
  
When they broke apart Evan stared at David's wet lips and flushed face and wondered why it had taken them so long to do this.  
  
“So…” Evan started, still trying to get his breath back, “you beat the plant with a tiny knife?”  
  
“You stopped answering me,” David explained, his warm hands still beneath Lorne’s shirt, “and I got worried…”  
  
David seemed to think that it was explanation enough because he leaned forward to nip at Evan’s lower lip, putting an end to the conversation. And Evan didn’t find any reason to complain at all.  
  
-End-


End file.
